As part of Christmas on the Potomac, ICE at the Gaylord National Resort! It’s a special Washington DC area vacation event that you won’t want to miss! This holiday season, the popular holiday attraction returns with a new theme for 2018: a Charlie Brown Christmas. Watch Charlie rediscover the meaning of Christmas among thousands of pounds of ice.
Dates: November 16, 2018 – January 1, 2019
The complex will offer a variety of immersive activities in the hotel’s exhibition hall. At the entrance, guests will discover a Christmas-decorated plaza, complete with Christmas products, a hot chocolate stand, a Santa Claus sleigh, and a carousel.
What is Gaylord National ICE?
At the Gaylord National Resort in National Harbor, visitors enter a winter wonderland created entirely from 5,000 BLOCKS of ice weighing 2 MILLION POUNDS! Hand-sculpted by 40 international artisans and maintained at nine degrees Fahrenheit. Produced exclusively for Gaylord Hotels, the attraction is fully interactive, allowing guests to roam in, around and on top of vacation scenes.
The traversed indoor attraction is housed in a massive 15,000-square-foot structure that is specially constructed and thickly insulated to help maintain its internal temperature of nine degrees.
To stay comfortable indoors, guests are borrowed oversized winter coats to wear. It is very cold so be sure to bring a hat and a pair of gloves.
History and art
The master craftsmen who created the Gaylord National ICE! They are from Harbin, China, a city in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province that is world famous for its Harbin International Snow and Ice Festival. Each winter, more than 2,000 sculpture artists carve a massive 100-acre ice park and a large ice city from blocks of ice taken from the nearby Songhua River. Gaylord National Resort brought 40 of Harbin’s most talented master craftsmen to the United States to showcase their incredible talents in creating this one-of-a-kind attraction.
They arrive in mid-October, stay in place for over 30 days, to build and hand-carve the attraction in time for its debut.
Hours:
Open every day, hours vary.
Tickets:
Adults (12 years and older) from $ 32, children (3 to 11 years) from $ 24, 2 years and under are free. Discounted tickets for groups of 20 or more are available.
Walk-in ticket sales will be available during normal attraction hours, however visitors are encouraged to purchase tickets online (in advance) as they are expected to sell out on many days. Visit www.christmasonthepotomac.com or call (301) 965-4000.
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, 201 Waterfront Street, National Harbor, MD.
See a map and directions
Free Christmas decorations and evening entertainment at the Gaylord
The Starlight Christmas Tree will be the star of the hotel’s nightly Christmas fountain show, Sounds and Songs of Christmas, at 6, 7, 8 and 9 p.m. The tree is comprised of 50 five-point stars, inspired by Washington, DC American and representative of the 50 states of America. The top of the tree shows a large star, signifying the Capital, and a small group of stars to pay tribute to the deco liberty coin. The festive fountain show runs every night from November 18 to January 1.
Additional seasonal activities
- This year, a live entertainment show, Cirque Dreams Unwrapped, will be presented in the hotel’s impressive 19-story atrium. The whole family can enjoy this uniquely inspired 25-minute Christmas fable, performed on the atrium stage and in the air with spectacular costumes and a soaring imagination.
- Enjoy an ice skating experience in the resort’s ornate Christmas Village. Ice skating is $ 16.99 for all ages.
- An exclusive Build-A-Bear Workshop experience that lets guests build their own furry winter friend – an adorable and cute plush that can be customized with cozy winter apparel and accessories.
- The Christmas Village is home to a variety of family entertainment including Cookies with Mrs. Claus, a carousel, a miniature train ride, photos with Santa, and Gingerbread Decorating Corner.
- A new family breakfast experience features Charlie Brown and Lucy. Offered on select days, $ 39.99 for adults 12 and older and $ 26.99 for children 4-11. Children 3 and under are free.
Read more about Christmas events at National Harbor
